HARLISTAS! Cuba’s “Harleys Run on Anything!”
Despite barriers, legislation, coups, and countless other things in the way of Cubans, the people of the tiny island nation have a deep love of both classic cars and classic motorcycles.
This is primarily because the only source of transportation for the last 40 years has been those same classic cars and motorcycles, but during that time, a real bond has developed between the owners and their rides.
Chief among those are the Harlistas. Throughout the years, Harley riders in Cuba have had to deal with one major problem. Finding parts. Since the trade embargo with the U.S., those owners haven’t been able to get new parts or even new motorcycles, yet they somehow make them work.
The Guardian recently did an entire article on the life and times of being a Harley owner in Cuba and is a fascinating read. Hopefully, with U.S. and Cuban relations easing lately, more of these fellow riders will finally get the parts and services they so desperately need to keep their passion and bikes going.
Best quote in the article, ““Times were hard: gas was scarce but, luckily, Harleys run on anything. We’d mix gas and alcohol and sometimes kerosene – anything we could find! Check out the complete article here.